An analysis of the relationship of nutritional status, intuitional eating and depression of pregnant with and without gestational diabetes

This study was carried out to examine the relationship between nutritional status, intuitive eating and depression in pregnant women with or without gestational diabetes. The study was conducted with a total of 92 volunteer pregnant women aged between 18-30, 45 of them with gestational diabetes (GDM) and 47 of them without GDM (n-GDM), who applied to a private obstetrics clinic in Çankaya, Ankara, between January 2022 and March 2022. The study was carried out using face-to-face survey method. The questionnaire form prepared to collect data in the study includes questions on demographic characteristics, health information, anthropometric measurements, nutritional habits, Intuitive Eating During Pregnancy Scale (IES-P), Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) and Food Consumption Frequency Form. The mean age of the individuals who participated in this study was found 27.6±2.40 years. Based on their pre-pregnancy weights, it is determined that 60.0% of GDM pregnants and 42.6% of n-GDM pregnants were in the overweight group according to body mass index (BMI) classification. The mean total energy and sucrose intake values of pregnant women with GDM were 2068±2068.5±250.70 kkal, 91.2±75.5 g; n-GDM were found to be 1709.8±290.18 kkal, 23.7±33.07 grams in pregnant women, respectively (p<0.05). The mean IES-P score of pregnant women with GDM was 2.6±0.63; n-GDM was found to be 3.4±0.58 in pregnant women (p<0.05). A negative relationship was observed between BMI and intuitive eating behaviors. While the mean BMI of those who eat intuitively was 26.98±4.04 kg/m2, the mean of those who did not eat intuitively was 27.63±4.02 kg/m2 (r=-.128, p>0.05). The mean depression score of GDM pregnant women was 8.4±4.23; the score of n-GDM pregnant women is 6.4±3.91 (p<0.05). As a results, it was found that intuitive eating score is higher and depression scale score is lower in women with GDM than pregnant women without GDM. There are limited studies that assess intuitive eating attitudes in pregnant women. Intuitive eating awareness should be gained with the aim of preveting complications caused by dietary choices in pregnancy and gaining convenient weight. Keywords: Gestational Diabetes, Intuitive Eating, Depression